Terrifier 3
October 9th, 2024
MOVIE: TERRIFIER 3
STARRING: LAUREN LAVERA, DAVID HOWARD THORNTON, ANTONELLA ROSE, ELLIOTT FULLAM, SAMANTHA SCAFFIDI
DIRECTED BY: DAMIEN LEONE
AMovieGuy.com’s RATING: 2 ½ STARS (Out of 4)
RATED: R
RUN TIME: 125 MINUTES
In my Terrifier 2 review, my sentiment was that a character like Art the Clown is necessary in the horror genre because the culture of horror is better with him. Now Terrifier 3 arrives, Damien Leone’s follow-up to what became a commercial and viral success, showing the sadistic actions of a killer clown and his battle with a kick-ass angel-winged final girl. In the third installment, however, I did realize that Terrifier 2 was what I wanted Terrifier 3 to be. Although the blood, guts, and kills are turned up even more, what is missing is a much better story arc. That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy the creativity and reckless abandonment splattering over every frame- that should still be celebrated- but Terrifier 3 fails to bring Art to another level.
The story picks up five years after T2’s battle with Sienna Shaw (Lauren LaVera, the beating heart of the entire series), where her friends, mother, and anyone else were ripped to shreds by Art (David Howard Thornton) and his ruthless antics. It culminated in an epic battle between the two, leaving Art decapitated, and Sienna with a bag full of trauma. Now she’s leaving a mental health facility to live with her aunt, uncle, and niece. Her brother (Elliott Fullam) is holding on in college but they know what is coming. In classic horror tradition, Art the Clown finds a way to get his head back on, and in Terrifier 3 it seems that Leone has only just begun.
As far as the rest of the plot, it’s the good gory stuff: a gnarly shower scene involving a chainsaw leaves two college kids in pieces. A group of drunks, including Dan Roebuck dressed as Santa, make the mistake of messing with the wrong clown. At Art’s side is the mutilated woman from the first Terrifier-Victoria Heyes (Samantha Scaffidi) who is equally as disturbing- but not half as animated as Thornton’s performance. For better and for worse, David Howard Thornton deserves high praise for always delivering as the antagonist.
A problem I had with Terrifier 3, however, is in the opinion of this writer. Leone and crew have crossed many lines before, so I can’t say I’m surprised, but this will become known as “the one where he kills kids.” For me, that’s a big dealbreaker, a line in the sand that when you cross you lose me. It’s not that I’m sensitive. I could handle the first two Terrifiers, but now it’s more than just horny teens, drunk assholes, or bullies that get their comeuppance. One could assume that Leone found himself at a crossroads and decided that Art was just too sadistic to not do it. Be that as it may, the audience already knows how psychotic the character is, and killing kids feels like a cruelty that we do not need. A woman takes an ax to her face and a college kid is sawed in half, we got it, you are crazy man.
On top of that, the ending for T3 feels rushed, turning into another fight for Sienna to survive and then it’s just over. One can sense that Leone heard complaints about the run time of T2 and decided to just end sooner and save more kills for Terrifier 4…5…6 and so on. In the end, Art the Clown still brings Terrifier 3 to the top of the body heap, reminding audiences that he’s the new slasher movie king. It will be interesting to see exactly what more he could do. Somehow Leone figures it out but please, no more kids.
2 ½ STARS
TERRIFIER 3 IS IN THEATERS THIS FRIDAY OCTOBER 11TH, 2024.
Written by: Leo Brady
